Improvement in manufacturing coffins



W. ODA-Y.

MANUFACTURINGCOFFINS'. No.179,814. Patented J'u1 y1-1,18-76.

MPETEHS, PNOYO-UTHOGRAPHER. WASMINGTON, D. G

UNITED STATES WILLIAM ODAY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

lMPROVEMENTlN MANUFACTURING COFFINS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 179,8 [4, dated July 11, 1876; application filed April 15, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, WILLIAM ODAY, of Sa Francisco city and county, State ofOalifornia, have invented Improvements in Manufacturing Colfins; and I do hereby declare the following description and accompanying drawings are sufficient to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which it most nearly appertnins to make and use my said invention or improvement without further'invention or experiment.

The object of my invention is to clieapen the manufacture of wooden coffins by providing a simple and convenient method of constructing and applying the ends of that class of coffins or caskets which are made with octagonal ends. Ordinarily, each piece which is used in the formation of the octagonal ends is cut and fitted separately, so that it requires much labor and nice workmanship to properly construct a coffin. This is owing to the number of miter-joints to be fitted and the taper of the casket, which necessitates each piece to be tapered and fitted correspondingly.

By my invention 1 first construct an octagonal form of any given length, either tapering or otherwise, according to the shape of the coffin to be made. This form I make of the proper size to serve as a pattern upon which to fit and put together in long strips the boards which are to form the ends'of the coffin. I then take the long boards and miter, fit, and nail them together, so as to provide an octagonal end piece of anyv desired length, whichcan be cut into short lengths, to form the ends after they have been fitted to the body of the coffin.

In the drawing, A represents a coffin or casket'having one end finished and the octagonal end piece B secured to its opposite end, and in a condition ready to be cut off, so as to finish both ends of the coffin. If the bottom of the coffin is to be narrower than the top, the form is made tapering, and the long octagonal end piece B will also be tapering, so asto fit the taper of the eoffin. If both ends of the coffin are of equal width, two long end pieces, B, will be required, so that each one will furnish an end, and thus provide two ends of the same size; but if the coffin tapers from head to foot, the head end can be tapering from the butt or largeend of the long end piece, and the foot from thenext out, thus providing the desiredtaper in the length of the casket.

By this arrangement I am able to have the long end pieces put together at a mill or factory, where this work can be done with great facility and with little loss of lumber, as the boards will cut to greater advantage where they are worked in the long piece, and as the pieces are put togetherupon a form, no mistake can happen. The work is, therefore,done more cheaply, and all the coffin-maker has to do is to construct the box or body of his coffin to conform to the ends, and put themtogether, thus enabling him to produce a cheaper, and at the same time a neater, coffin than where the pieces have to be fitted singly. The arrangement also enables me to utilize my invention of making the coffin out of boards which have been stained and polished in the long piece before they are cut up, as described in a former application for a patent made by me.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

As a new article of manufacture, the end piece B, prepared in long sections, to be applied to coffins in sections, as set forth.

WILLIAM ODAY.

V Witnesses:

GEo. H. STRONG, JNO. L. BOONE. 

